Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2010 1:42 amPosts: 3065Location: On a Journey to the West

Aikura wrote:

The Art of War: True to form, the Fist builds their fortification on the wrong side of a classic defensible barrier.

I must admit that the first I saw that I thought it was the Amnish fort.

But there are some benefits to building on the wrong side of the classic defensible barrier. 1) In order to cross the ravine/river, the Amnish have to clear out the fort first. 2) If it becomes evident that the Fist need to retreat from the fort, the bridges can be brought down to create more time to regroup at the next defensible location.3) Since the fort is on the 'wrong side,' it also means that cutting off the fort's line of supply is difficult as the fort cannot be easily surrounded.

It was a strategy by the Fist commander to make sure his men held the line. There is no Retreat unless you care to take a swim with Amnian archers shooting at you!

Julius Caesar used the same tactic against Pompey in Greece during the War of the first Triumvirate - he had a numerically inferior force and to shore up morale he led them into a situation that was 'victory of death' with all lines of retreat cut off by either the enemy or nature itself. (while Pompey's troops knew they could probably retreat if the battle went wrong)

It's still not good use of tactics - since he let it come that far - ofcourse but when you're in such a situation it may be the best choice available -- and it sure boosts morale and resolve when people know they can't run. The other choice might mean that your men desert since they figure the odds are against them and there's a way to escape the fight.

So it's possible that this was a very calculated move because the Fists were low on morale and the commanders feared the troops might break or desert.

Well nothing is more evil than having you jump down into the water after you climbed a tall wall.

Reminds me of the army.

_________________"Depart for the fields of Dreams, wander those blue, romantic hills where stands the tower of the Supernatural, cool mosses clothing the ruins of Idealism. Indulge in a little fantasy!"